The Deep Specialization™️ Podcast

Peter Kang, Co-founder of Barrel Holdings, has two decades of experience in the digital agency landscape, focusing on Shopify and Webflow. He shares his unlikely transition from running a small web agency to building a thriving holding company. Peter discusses the crucial role of specialization and strategic partnerships, the challenges of market saturation, and how they innovated within their agency framework. He also highlights the impact of their 'Consumed and Created' newsletter, fostering creativity and thoughtful consumption.

Episode: 15 Chapter Fifteen of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses the significance of being on the "day one list" of vendors that buyers consider without prior research, achieved mainly through colleague recommendations, past experiences, and vendor websites. It emphasizes the importance of building a strong reputation within a vertical market community, akin to integrating into a village, through deliberate relationship-building with influential brands (tastemakers) and mavens. The chapter outlines strategies for engaging with tastemakers and mavens, participating in vertical associations, attending and hosting events, and being present at vertical-specific "watering holes" to foster trust and become the recommended go-to agency. Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales.  If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy. 

John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, discusses the rise of fractional CMOs in the current market. He shares insights on running a repeatable framework, success stories of revenue growth, and signs indicating your business is ready for a fractional CMO. Topics include balancing scale, avoiding scope creep, and evaluating costs for the role.

Episode: 14 Chapter Fourteen of Anyone, Not Everyone highlights the power of vertical outbound sales and marketing strategies, stressing the importance of proactively reaching out to potential clients within a targeted vertical market. It introduces the concept of the Zone of Indifference, where the majority of clients are neither actively seeking nor strongly opposed to new services, and emphasizes the necessity of targeted, personalized outreach, using unique and memorable gifts (USI gifts) to make a warm and lasting impression. The chapter also notes common outbound mistakes and provides practical steps for effective outbound campaigns. Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

“I built out a cold outreach methodology around heuristics, which is a series of pattern interrupts, or shortcuts.” Justin Michael, Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange Ready for a different perspective on sales outreach?  This week’s guest is an executive sales coach who has helped over 200 startups make over their outbound efforts by leaning into the unexpected. Justin Michael is a best-selling author of the book “Sales Superpowers” and the Co-Founder of Hard Skill Exchange, the world’s first real-time 1:1 skill-building marketplace.  After spending some 20,000 hours (his words, not ours!) on cold calls, he started mapping out what it took to get to predictable outcomes and what made prospects open to the pitch. And so, Justin’s bespoke methodologies were born. If you’re currently in an agency sales role, this episode is a goldmine for you. While some advice may feel counter-intuitive, like doing unscalable work, such as relationship-building to scale your agency, Justin’s tried and tested strategies render results in the long-term. Justin and Corey get into topics like cold outreach, building relationships with prospects, Justin’s newest book, and tapping into disruptive thinking like combining sales with the law of attraction.    Here’s what we cover in this episode: - Catching prospects’ attention and why doing the wrong thing, like grammatical errors in sales emails, can be effective. - How to approach cold prospects in a manner that doesn’t repel them. - Unconventional ways of getting in front of your target accounts. - Scaling sales with the law of attraction, and the most ‘controversial book written in B2B.’   Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: - Try to pattern interrupt when doing outreach, for example, humans respond much better to visual information. - Opening lateral conversations that mimic a real-life interaction helps disarm prospects. - Take two or three discovery calls before you try to pitch.   The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Justin on LinkedIn Here- Check out Hard Skill Exchange Here 👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔   😩 Feeling stuck trying to stand out in a noisy market? I’d love to give you my free crash course that will help you go from “just another generalist” to a go-to expert people seek out. In just a few short days, you’ll learn how to position yourself with clarity, authority, and focus. ➡️ Sign up here: deepspecializationcourse.com

Episode: 13 Chapter Thirteen of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical inbound marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for agencies to be easily discovered by potential clients who are already seeking solutions. It advises on thought leadership through content marketing, visibility through speaking at and hosting events, and targeting through paid advertising. The chapter stresses that a proactive approach to marketing—going beyond passive inbound tactics—is crucial for agencies aiming to secure their desired clientele. Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

“Eventually, we stopped the shenanigans and got vertical."  –  Rob Murray, Founder and President of Intrigue Media Some founding stories are more eccentric, and entertaining, than others, and today’s guest certainly has a tale to tell. While these days, the digital marketing agency Intrigue Media does over $5 million in annual revenue serving 110 clients and counting, its founder, Rob Murray started his business selling local out-of-home advertising all the way back in college. While Rob started out as a local generalist, he ultimately, after some hits and glorious misses, narrowed his focus to select niches like HVAC and landscaping. Rob joins Corey to not just share Intrigue Media’s journey, but also to dish out a hot take (or five!), served with a side of refreshing honesty. For one, Rob doesn’t think that different niches are truly that different to serve; you just have to deeply understand business basics like revenue models and problem-solving. Pair that with honest service and the ethos of trying to do good, and you’re golden. So tune in for a wealth of knowledge and actionable advice on topics like growth and retention, what not to do with sales, and moreover, the leadership principles that Rob lives by. Here’s what we cover in this episode: Rob’s crazy founding story from DOOH to verticalization. How showing up in the community and doing thought leadership sparked initial growth. Rob’s approach to marketing, sales, and business leadership. The challenges of hiring sales and how to incentivize them. Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: You have two ways to position your offering: vertical versus horizontal.  If you have the resources, you can grow quickly in the beginning by creating a sensation that your agency is everywhere. Think: parties, events, community, and lots of speaking. Don’t send sales into the market before you’re sure they get your business and you trust them to represent it. Try to uncover unconscious beliefs you hold about your business to break harmful patterns; journaling is great for this. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Connect with Rob on LinkedIn Here Check out Intrigue Media Here Books mentioned in this episode are:  Verne Harnish, Scaling Up  John C. Maxwell, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last and Start With Why  Dr. Eric Byrne (Related to Transactional Analysis, no specific book mentioned) Seth Godin (Specific book not mentioned) 👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😩 Feeling stuck trying to stand out in a noisy market? I’d love to give you my free crash course that will help you go from “just another generalist” to a go-to expert people seek out. In just a few short days, you’ll learn how to position yourself with clarity, authority, and focus. ➡️ Sign up here: deepspecializationcourse.com

Episode: 12 Chapter Twelve of Anyone, Not Everyone outlines the necessity of creating specific sales and marketing materials to appeal to a chosen vertical market, stressing that most of a client's buying decision is made before the first contact. It recommends crafting a dedicated vertical webpage, compiling impactful client success stories and testimonials, and gathering vertical-specific social proof to demonstrate expertise and build trust with potential clients. Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.

“The first six, seven years were a lot of lessons. I made a lot of mistakes. I did not know how to lead people. I didn't know what kind of people should be hired."  –  Manish Dudharejia, Founder and President E2M Solutions This week’s guest, Manish Duharejia, is a true agency aficionado with over a decade at the helm of his marketing company, E2M Solutions. Founded in 2012, E2M Solutions is an integrated white label digital agency that helps other agencies expand their capacity through white label services. Today, Manish runs a 200-person operation with offices in California and India. From his beginnings in SEO to becoming a company founder, Manish joins the show to detail his journey in building a thriving global company. What is refreshing about Manish is his candor around the lessons he’s learned, including challenges and even failures. For instance, he had to scale his team back from 120 to 40 to build out sustainable processes first, so he could ultimately get the company back on track. While Manish initially built momentum by partnering with agency coaches and sponsoring events, what truly accelerated growth was switching from project-based fees to unlimited services with fixed costs.  What else did the trick?  Listen to the episode to uncover valuable learnings on niching down, running an offshore team, hiring order, as well as leadership hits and misses, and key milestones for E2M Solutions.   Here’s what we cover in this episode: How agencies can scale with white label services. Hard lessons and company growing pains. The benefits (and process) of niching down. Why Manish built his business leveraging both US and Indian talent.   Here are some actionable key takeaways for agency founders: The challenges you face at different stages of growth are unique; always stay one step ahead and plan for the next threshold. Problem-solving mindset calls for positivity and transparency. Niching down means saying no for a reason. Don’t fear it. It is better to be a specialist in a vertical market because you become an expert in helping clients solve problems.   The resources mentioned in this episode are: - Connect with Manish on LinkedIn Here- Check out E2M Solutions Here 👍If you liked this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and be sure to hit the subscribe button! 🔔 😩 Feeling stuck trying to stand out in a noisy market? I’d love to give you my free crash course that will help you go from “just another generalist” to a go-to expert people seek out. In just a few short days, you’ll learn how to position yourself with clarity, authority, and focus. ➡️ Sign up here: deepspecializationcourse.com

Episode: 11 Chapter Eleven of Anyone, Not Everyone discusses vertical sales and marketing strategies, emphasizing the importance of choosing specific actions and avoiding others. The chapter breaks down the sales and marketing activities into inbound marketing, outbound sales and marketing, and relationship marketing, providing an approach to reach clients in the active buying process and underlining the necessity of being a top consideration for potential clients. Reminder that this is a chapter in Corey Quinn’s book, Anyone, Not Everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be releasing a few chapters at a time so that you can escape founder-led sales. If you want to read or listen to the entire book today, then visit www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com and pick up a copy.